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Squirrel with a Gun Review

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Some games catch your eye. Some games make it clear what they’re about from the very beginning. Some games allow you to take control of a trigger happy squirrel hell bent on causing mayhem and dispatching shady agents in all sorts of creative ways.

Squirrel with a Gun is all of these things, and more.

Squirrel with a Gun review 2
That squirrel has got a gun or two

The aim? Collect as many golden acorns as possible. There’s no complicated story or reasons why, it just so happens the little rodent is rather adept when it comes to taking care of itself.

This sandbox adventure starts in a secret bunker, crawling with agents who are trying to prevent your escape. This area acts as a tutorial of sorts, where you can learn the ropes in Squirrel with a Gun. The little scamp is light footed as you can imagine, and is equipped with a decent jump as well as the ability to climb as you would expect. However, things get much more interesting when the guns are introduced.

There is a small arsenal to play with, starting with the humble handgun and progressing right the way up to the mighty rocket launcher. The gunplay is simple enough and the aim lock comes in handy, however the takedowns are where it’s at. If any agent is stunned, get up close and hit Y. Depending on what you are armed with, the squirrel will launch into a brutal, frenzied, but above all, hilarious finishing move that you definitely will not see coming. 

As entertaining as the weapons are to use on agents, they actually serve an even more crucial purpose. They can be used to gain some extra air by shooting directly down, or large jumps can be cleared in the same way. The effectiveness of this varies by weapon, so experimenting with each to figure out how to reach the collectibles in Squirrel with a Gun is both recommended and lots of fun.

This same recoil used to ascend, can also work against you. Several times I was flung back off a platform and sent careering down to the ground. Thankfully, there’s no fall damage and you can actually stick a pretty cool superhero landing if you time it right. 

Squirrel with a Gun review 3
Upgrade them guns!

Platforming and combat are key elements of Squirrel with a Gun, but puzzle solving completes the gameplay triangle. After you escape the bunker, you are spat out into a sandbox area which is home to all sorts of treasures. The neighbourhood is split down into different areas, each with golden acorns, reload wedges, garments and camera filters. 

Thankfully, if you scale a nearby flagpole you’ll be given an unbeatable vantage point from which to survey the area. Collectibles will be highlighted, and their descriptions will often give you a clue on how to unlock them. However, finding them is one thing, but to get your paws on the goodies there will sometimes be a price, meaning you’ll need a certain number of regular, and golden acorns.

Regular acorns are also used to heal, as well as being needed to unlock collectibles you find. It’s worth stockpiling these as much as possible, as to progress to new areas you will need a good stash. You can pose for pictures with the locals, or take more affirmative action by holding up passers by and taking their acorns by force. 

Unfortunately ammo is not infinite, meaning you’ll need to head back to glowing highlighted areas to reload. This is where the reload wedges come in very handy. As you build capacity, you’ll be able to stack reloads to get you firing for longer. These wedges are replenished by glowing pine cones found in small red bushes, or when mowing down agents.

Garments unlock all sorts of adorable outfits, accessories and different colours for your squirrel. What I love most about these, is that the behaviour changes too. For example, if you equip the trenchcoat, the squirrel will walk about like a 1930’s detective surveying a crime scene, rather than scuttling around on all fours. Sometimes they have practical uses too, such as being able to move around freely underwater and resisting certain types of damage. The final type of collectible is the camera filter, which allows the opportunity for some memorable snaps whilst in photo mode. 

Squirrel with a Gun review 4
Jump in your car…

You’ll get up to all sorts of mischief as you try to nab the collectibles, such as striking oil, reuniting a couple due to marry, shooting down water slides and scaling seemingly impossible heights. It’s a wonderfully mad and delightfully deranged adventure.

New modes of transport are needed to progress in Squirrel with a Gun, and once unlocked expand the sandbox you can play in. The first of these is a little toy car, which is nippy but a bit of a nightmare to control. It’s extremely sensitive, but the image of a squirrel driving an RC car whilst packing a rocket launcher is an absolute delight. I also found a useful glitch when the car would sometimes flip but spin violently on its axis. Acorns are rewarded for busting some moves, so this meant I started raking them in very quickly. Later on you’ll be jetskiing, boating and even riding high on a drone in your battle against the agents.

As well as the usual grunts, you will have to face off against Mummy and Daddy in boss battles (no really). These aren’t bigger squirrels however – they’re also agents, but come at you in a tank and a helicopter in an attempt to put an end to your mischievous meddling. 

It’s in these encounters where the controls are put under considerable strain, their sensitivity and inaccuracy become a minor pain in the backside. I’m not sure if it was this, or just a glitch, but I had real issues landing shots with the sniper at times; the bullets passing straight through my enemies. 

Still, thankfully death is but a minor inconvenience where you may lose a few acorns but no substantial progress. However, make sure to save regularly in Squirrel with a Gun otherwise you definitely will. Hanging squirrel feeders are dotted around the world which act as save points.

Squirrel with a Gun review 1
Give a squirrel a gun and you get nuts

Squirrel with a Gun looks decent enough visually and despite the frame rate dropping significantly at times, and the odd control glitch here and there, it holds stable the rest of the time. However, you’re not playing a game like this to study graphical fidelity, for it’s the scenes which will stay with you long after. Whether it’s brutally gunning down agents, driving around packing heat or dressing for the occasion, Squirrel with a Gun is an absolute hoot. Another neat touch I adore, is that the title menu image will change depending on your last equipped garments. 

Talking of the title menu, it’s backed by a wonderfully mismatched theme song which has a “Snake Eater” vibe, and sounds like the theme straight out of a James Bond film. From the start, as you’re listening to this whilst looking at a squirrel wielding a handgun twice its size, you’ll know you’re in for something completely different and a little bit mad.

Squirrel with a Gun won’t take you too long to complete, but there’s a good few hours of gameplay here if you’re the type that likes to collect everything. It’s worth doing so too, because there are so many little details and opportunities to laugh yourself silly.

It may be a shooter, a platformer and a puzzler, but more importantly Squirrel with a Gun is absolutely nuts. Its shortcomings are more than made up for by the sheer amount of fun you’ll have playing as a squirrel, with a gun.


Squirrel with a Gun: The Nuttiest Sandbox Shooter Arrives on Xbox and PlayStation – https://www.thexboxhub.com/squirrel-with-a-gun-the-nuttiest-sandbox-shooter-arrives-on-xbox-and-playstation/

Nuts About Guns? We Talk to Squirrel With a Gun’s Game Director – https://www.thexboxhub.com/nuts-about-guns-we-talk-to-squirrel-with-a-guns-game-director/

Buy Squirrel with a Gun – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/squirrel-with-a-gun/9MT4KHXQ28B9

SUMMARY

Pros:
  • It’s bonkers
  • Takedowns are marvellously over the top
  • Plenty to collect
  • Simple but well designed puzzles
Cons:
  • Controls occasionally frustrate
  • Minor performance issues
Info:
  • Massive thanks for the free copy of the game, Maximum Entertainment
  • Formats - Xbox Series X|S (review), PS5, PC
  • Release date and price - 15 October 2024 |£15.49
Darren Edwards
Darren Edwards
I have been playing games since a very early age, thanks to my Dad's encouragement. I've been an Xbox gamer since the very beginning, the Master Chief is to thank for that. I'm also a big Nintendo geek, and my other half is a PlayStation nut. I'll play pretty much anything in any genre (although FIFA and COD maybe pushing it).
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<b>Pros:</b> <ul> <li>It’s bonkers</li> <li>Takedowns are marvellously over the top</li> <li>Plenty to collect</li> <li>Simple but well designed puzzles</li> </ul> <b>Cons:</b> <ul> <li>Controls occasionally frustrate</li> <li>Minor performance issues</li> </ul> <b>Info:</b> <ul> <li>Massive thanks for the free copy of the game, Maximum Entertainment</li> <li>Formats - Xbox Series X|S (review), PS5, PC <li>Release date and price - 15 October 2024 |£15.49</li> </ul>Squirrel with a Gun Review
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